Are Dogs Really the Best Judge of Human Character?

I've had dogs. I've had cats. There was the odd rabbit, box turtle and garden snake (though not in the same cage...for long). And growing up, there was also an old stunt horse, a veteran of Hollywood westerns, who would respond unpredictably to random commands like "Stagecoach!"

Yet the shrewdest judge of character I ever came across was a lithe, streetwise tabby who ruled the neighborhood with fierce, blue-eyed intelligence. If she liked someone, the neighborhood amusingly knew the individual must be a pretty fair character.

All of which -- spurred by today's "NON SEQUITUR" -- prompts the Official 'Riffs Reader Question of the Day: What type of pet do you think is the best judge of human character?

BEST/"WORST" VISUAL OF THE DAY: To sum up the second panel of today's juicy "ZITS" in a single word: Yeeps! I'm both repelled and oddly compelled to gaze at that art. (Which, actually, is quite the twin feat.) If nothing else, it would make for a mean "suction-cup" car-window toy to rival anything Garfield ever committed to plastic.

CIRCUS TACT: Somehow, I get strangely optimistic when one of the "children" scribbles "FAMILY CIRCUS" all week -- in the sudden hope that one of the gags might ring with true, brutal childlike honesty.

The best judge of human character is Mary Worth. The name is no accident; Mary exists solely to ascertain your worth, and then she will mete out eternal torment upon those who do not measure up. Abandon all hope, ye who incur the wrath of Mary.

Cats are a little smarter than dogs in this respect, but they are less helpful. If a cat doesn't like someone, the cat will simply disappear. There's no gradation of evil. Dogs stick around, and their level of distrust is a clear indicator of how worried the owner should be. Dogs sniff, protectively stare, stand next to the owner's side to ensure safety, growl, bare its teeth, or even resort to aggression.